We speak of the world in many different ways: the ancient world, the modern world, the third world, the world of finance, the academic world, the art world, the underworld and so on. The world has many levels of identity and meaning. We are born into the world, we grow up in the world and we live in the world. Exclamations of the world are often voiced in song such as ‘what a wonderful world!’ Or by politicians who talk about a ‘world war!’ ‘world peace!’ ‘world government!’ Objectively speaking the world is the planet on which we live and everything that lives and breathes in it but the world is frequently a word used to express size, totality, dimension, extent and such other adjectives that add degree, scope or range to what we want to say. For instance, we speak of world fame, world heritage, world peace, world accolade, world trade. The world in speech is most commonly used in this way. We talk about world fashions, world climate, world wide web, world languages, etc. We see the word world as the most appropriate measure of achievement and success. In one sense the world has become a bigger size since we now know its latitude and longitude, in another it is much smaller because we now know of millions of far distant worlds through giant telescopes.

STRANGERS IN THE WORLD

St. Peter referred to God’s elect,[i] as strangers in the world. That is a most remarkable expression. It is like saying you are aliens, which, if there was any doubt about his meaning, he does say a little later in his letter to scattered Christians. ‘Dear Friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world…’[ii] There is urgency in Peter’s plea. ‘Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.’[iii] They were scattered about Asia and other places by reason of circumstance, persecution and abode. But they were, in Peter’s mind, strangers and aliens for another reason. ‘For you know,’ he reminds them, coming to the point, ‘that you were redeemed, {released} from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.’[iv] The relationship between the blood of Christ and their redemption had effected a change in their relationship with the world! Peter referred to two points in his letter that affected such a change that only the words strangers and alien would do to describe them. The first was that they had been chosen[v] before the world began or ever existed. That was the first all important point. Before time began God had foreseen those who would put their faith in Jesus Christ and these were a holy people, a people separated from the world’s way of living. The second was that they had a new and living hope, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, ‘to an inheritance that can never perish, spoil of fade, kept in heaven for you.’[vi]

Peter also pointed out to these Christians that they were living in the end time. They were therefore aliens in a world that was without a future.

These are the stark facts that underlie Peter’s letter to those scattered about in various places, some of whom were being persecuted for their faith.

DIFFERENT TIMES

When times are different, two thousand years and more after Peter sent this letter to Christians, the urgency of his appeal seems to have evaporated in the length of time taken for the end to come. Nevertheless, the world today appears to be heading for an end time more than ever before. The physical world is more likely to perish from nuclear wars, climate change or other cause than from God’s intervention. Many Christians have therefore taken a step backwards. They do not expect Christ to come in their lifetime, if it all. Questions are raised by some theologians whether or not the words of Peter and indeed those of Jesus ought to be interpreted in mystical or metaphorical terms. And rather than seeing themselves as aliens or strangers in the world, see themselves as very much a part of it, taking political, economic, social and scientific positions to improve and save it.

They reject the ‘other world view’ of things as theological imagination, the resurrection of Christ as mythical and the meaning of his death as nothing more than Jewish culture and syncretism.

PETERS APPEAL

But whilst having a popular academic appeal the appeal of St. Peter’s is much more convincing and eschatological. {futuristic} Peter’s view of the future was based on the ‘cornerstone’ of his knowledge and faith. The cornerstone was Jesus Christ,[vii] whom he had seen crucified, dead and buried. Who, he too had doubted and betrayed. But who he had afterward seen risen from the dead. He had talked with him, he had seen him lifted up out of sight and heard the promise that he would come again. He had received the Spirit, the Holy Spirit Jesus had promised would come and reveal all truth and give power to preach the good news of the Kingdom of heaven.

What Peter said was in keeping with what Jesus taught. The centre of the message that Jesus preached was repent and believe the good news, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.[viii] But he knew what had been foretold by the prophets about his sufferings and death on the cross. Not even his disciples believed him or understood him when he told them that although he was the Messiah, the king of the coming kingdom, only the Father knew the right time when it would come. Time is the way in which we measure things, not God. We think of time as a clock that measures planetary motion. The clock like the sun dial is the world’s time. The passage of time has not altered the good news nor has it changed the plea of Peter to live as strangers and aliens in the world.

ALIENS

Aliens are thought to exist from other worlds. They are believed to be watching us and monitoring our world. There were aliens in the bible, who had no abode on earth but visited this planet to announce certain forecasts of earth’s future and God’s blessings. They were called angels and are frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Angels ministered to Jesus.[ix] He had a consciousness of other beings and other worlds, especially Paradise or what we usually refer to as heaven. Coming from heaven, as he did, Jesus was like an alien to the religious people of this world and a potential trouble maker to rulers like King Herod. Jesus was not a world figure. He was not a recognized authority on political or religious matters. He lived on the edge of society. He was not an academic but had scholars puzzled and perplexed. He confronted them with God’s word. He taught people how to live, to love God rather than money, to love heaven rather than earth,[x] to seek God’s kingdom rather than man’s, to love one another as he loved,[xi] to be pure in heart,[xii]to lay up treasure in heaven,[xiii]to love enemies,[xiv]to return good for evil.[xv] He kept company with humble people, with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers and the insane. Their lives were changed by his power and love.

THE IRONY OF CHRIST’S LIFE ON EARTH

Jesus was a stranger in the world, an alien rejected by his own[xvi] and a king whose kingdom was not of this world,[xvii]an outsider, a drop out, a wanderer who had no were to lay his head,[xviii] a man whose life was plotted against by the authorities and who finally had him nailed to a cross and crucified. The irony is this: to love mankind, to care for the things that matter, to love God, to live by every word of God, to be filled with the Spirit, it is absolutely necessary to be a stranger to the world, an alien who does not gel with the world, who does not play the world’s money games, war games, love games, and power games.